Shifted
by TrueAisu
Summary: Harry prevents Sirius from falling through the Veil with a well-timed Summoning charm. Everything changes.
1. Prologue: Foreboding

**Prologue: Foreboding **

"_Come on!" said Harry desperately, hauling at Neville's robes. 'Just try and push with your legs -"_

_He gave another stupendous heave and Neville's robes tore all along the left seam - the small spun-glass ball dropped from his pocket and, before either of them could catch it, one of Neville's floundering feet kicked it: it flew some ten feet to their right and smashed on the step beneath them. As both of them stared at the place where it had broken, appalled at what had happened, a pearly-white figure with hugely magnified eyes rose into the air, unnoticed by any but them. Harry could see its mouth moving, but in all the crashes and screams and yells surrounding them, not one word of the prophecy could he hear. The figure stopped speaking and dissolved into nothingness._

"_Harry, I'b sorry!" cried Neville, his face anguished as his legs continued to flounder. "I'b so sorry, Harry, I didn'd bean do -"_

"_It doesn't matter!' Harry shouted. 'Just try and stand, let's get out of -"_

"_Dubbledore!" said Neville, staring over Harry's shoulder._

"_What?"_

"_DUBBLEDORE!"_

_Harry turned to look where Neville was staring. Directly above them, framed in the doorway from the Brain Room, stood Albus Dumbledore, his wand aloft, his face white and furious. Harry felt a kind of electric charge surge through every particle of his body - __**they were saved**__._

Hope restored, Harry whirled back around to face the battling Order members and Death Eaters, only to find that most of the enemy had begun to flee at the sight of Albus Dumbledore. Only one pair of duellers seemed unaffected; Bellatrix Lestrange was furiously firing spells at Sirius, who was laughing and dodging, seemingly without a care in the world. Oddly, neither of them were using lethal or even Dark spells - Stunners seemed to be the chosen weapon for each side.

As Sirius danced around, dodging spell after spell, he was slowly forced back, until he stood on the dais, directly in front of the odd archway with the ragged veil. Harry felt an odd surge of foreboding, the world suddenly slowing down around him as he gripped his wand.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" Sirius's voice echoed around the room.

A red light struck him in the chest.

The laughter had not yet died from his face, but his eyes widened in shock. He seemed to fall endlessly, his back arching as he sank backwards toward the veil -

"_ACCIO SIRIUS!_"

And thus, the universe shifted.

**A/N:** Super short prologue while I get Chapter 1 ready! This story will be updated infrequently and feature Dumbledore-bashing, a very much alive Sirius, and some very tame Harmony action. Don't like the sound of that? The door is over there, right by the big sign proclaiming my non-ownership of Harry Potter.


	2. Chapter 1: Relief

**Chapter 1: Relief**

Harry didn't know why he felt such an overpowering sense of relief as his godfather's momentum suddenly reversed, but he didn't have time to dwell on it; Bellatrix had whirled around to face him, frenzied anger flashing in her eyes. He raised his wand immediately, but was knocked out of the way by Kingsley Shacklebolt and Remus Lupin - the latter of the two cast a quick _Enervate_ at Sirius before turning to deal with the crazed Death Eater. Part of him felt insulted, but he pushed that feeling aside as he turned back to his godfather, who let out a groan and opened his eyes.

"What -"

"Don't ever do that again," Harry breathed, feeling tears unexpectedly prick at his eyes. "I thought...I thought you were going to..." He was cut off by surprisingly strong arms circling around him as Sirius pulled himself into a sitting position and hugged the fifteen-year-old close, both ignoring the flashes of spellfire around them.

"Harry, _get out of here!_" They jerked apart after a much too short embrace, realizing belatedly that the battle had continued. Lupin, who had been the one to speak, cast one last spell to distract Bellatrix, while Kingsley, who had managed to get behind her, fired a close-range Stunning spell that finally downed the witch. Harry turned back to Sirius, who was already forcing himself to his feet. The older man grasped Harry's arm and pulled him up, firmly but not roughly, and quickly turned to Neville, whose legs were still dancing uncontrollably, ending the spell with a quick _Finite_. Neville's eyes bulged out slightly, but he looked faintly resigned, as if used to being shocked around Harry.

"Er," Harry managed, "Neville, meet my godfather. He's not a Death Eater." He wasn't sure what else to say, so he simply shrugged and helped the other boy up. He glanced warily at Sirius, but the man's snickers and the arm he had around Harry's shoulders did make him look a bit less intimidating.

"We should probably go back for the others." Harry looked around; the Order had subdued or run off most of the Death Eaters by now.

Neville nodded, somewhat frantically. "Dey're all back dere," he confirmed. Lupin hurried up behind them, panting.

"You need to get back to the school," he ordered, gripping his wand tightly. "Let's go collect your friends and get out of here...there could be more Death Eaters lurking around..."

"You sound like Moody," Harry joked feebly. Sirius was the only one to laugh. Neville, obviously deciding that Lupin was the sanest of them, turned to the ex-Professor. "A brain addacked Ron bud I dink he's all righd - and Herbione's unconscious, bud we cou'd feel a bulse, and Ginny and Luna are bod hurd -"

"All the more reason to hurry, then," Lupin concluded. Harry just rolled his eyes, then did a double take as Lupin continued. "And Sirius, for Merlin's sake, transform! What if someone sees you?"

"Professor -"

"You're still a wanted man, Padfoot! Near-death experience or not, that doesn't mean -"

"_Professor Lupin_ -"

"- go gallivanting around like it's nothing, you absolute -"

"REMUS!"

The werewolf stopped. He turned around to face Harry. "What?"

The teenager pointed to the entrance, his face pale. "Little late for that."

As one, the convict, the werewolf, and the two teenagers turned to face the door, where a small crowd of Aurors, headed by one Cornelius Fudge, stood gaping at the sight before them.

"Sir!" exclaimed one of the scarlet-clad Aurors, pointing near the Veil, "That's Bellatrix Lestrange!"

The Minister just sputtered. "I...It can't...Black...Lestrange...Dumbledore..."

Sirius' arm tightened around Harry's shoulder. Fudge looked ready to explode as he came to almost entirely wrong conclusions.

"Dumbledore! Potter! You've been in league with Black all along...planning all those fake attacks...trying to get me out of office..." His face had gone a rather alarming shade of red.

"If I wanted to kill myself," Sirius muttered, "I'd climb up to the level of his ego and drop to the level of his intellect." Lupin and Harry snorted in tandem.

Fortunately, Dumbledore stepped in at that moment. His eyes were hard and devoid of their usual twinkle. "You may want to make use of some Veritaserum before jumping to conclusions, Cornelius," he advised sternly. "You now have proof, should you choose to pursue it, that I have been telling you the truth for a year. Lord Voldemort has returned, you have been chasing the wrong man for twelve months, and it is time you listened to sense!"

The man blustered for a few minutes, but Dumbledore simply turned to face the rather nervous group clumped around Sirius. "Now, Harry, it's time for you to return to Hogwarts -"

"I won't leave Sirius."

The old wizard stared. "You will return to Hogwarts now," he said, more forcefully, the twinkle in his eye returning with a vengeance. Harry stood his ground, feeling rather like he was battling a hurricane. "They can question Sirius first," he persisted, glancing up at his godfather for approval. The man's eyes looked oddly glassy in the dim light. "I'm staying with him." He couldn't bear to leave Sirius's side now - not after the fear he'd felt for his godfather that day. Dumbledore frowned at him, and Harry almost relented, but instead pressed slightly closer to Sirius, who gripped his shoulder slightly in response. Dumbledore was then distracted by the Minister again, and turned away from the relieved Harry.

One of the Aurors approached with a vial. Harry immediately blocked the woman's way, his eyes wary. Would they risk poisoning Sirius rather than questioning him? They_ had_ been advocating the Kiss...

"It's just Veritaserum," the Auror assured him. Harry wasn't so sure, but he reluctantly stepped aside, looking anxiously up at Sirius, who smiled comfortingly before opening his mouth. The Auror let a couple of drops trickle onto his tongue, then pulled out a piece of parchment and a quill, which hovered over it.

"Auror Phoebe Savage for the Veritaserum questioning of Sirius Orion Black." The quill scribbled the words down exactly - Harry glanced over her shoulder to see, rather relieved that it seemed more accurate than certain other automatic quills he'd seen - and the questioning began.

**A/N: **Normal chapters will be about double this length, but this seemed like a good place to stop. Plus I have to memorize a monologue and two songs for theater auditions which are...tomorrow. But, um, yeah! Things are definitely going to go differently in THIS story. Also, the reason why the Minister and Aurors showed up in the DoM is just that they never chased after Bellatrix, so the whole confrontation happened down here - but Voldemort never had reason to show himself, so Harry never had to fight him this time. Enjoy! It'll probably take at least a week for me to update again, so please bear with me!


	3. Chapter 2: Freedom

**Chapter 2: Freedom**

Four hours and many doses of Veritaserum later, Sirius stood, magical restraints falling off his body. The rather embarrassed and harassed-looking Minister shook his hand, slumping in defeat.

"Mr. Black, I am...pleased to correct the errors made by the previous administration and pronounce you a free man." He didn't particularly seem pleased, but surrounded by Aurors - including the scrupulously fair head of the DMLE, Amelia Bones - he couldn't deny the testimonies of not only Sirius, but also ten captured Death Eaters. "There will be a special report in the news tomorrow, and you are officially authorized to carry a wand again. The Ministry offers it's congratulations and..."

Sirius just grinned, tuning the bumbling Minister out; he was a bit dazed from the long interrogation, but he was free. Free to walk down Diagon Alley without a disguise. Free to fly again - Merlin, he needed a new broom, he'd be laughed off any pitch on his old Comet 200. Free to take care of his godson, like he should have all these years.

His godson. Harry.

Some of the fuzziness in his head cleared, and he looked around, his eyes immediately falling on the very boy he was looking for. In the back of his mind, he knew that Harry had resisted all attempts to pry him from his godfather, finally acquiescing to standing by the wall, apart from the proceedings, but easily within reach. Sirius opened his arms, and Harry leaped at him, nearly barreling him over with a hug. A few moments later, the boy pulled back a bit, blushing, but still in his arms. Sirius looked back over at Fudge, narrowing his eyes slightly. "I want custody of my godson." It wasn't a request, and though the Minister of Magic blustered, he stood firm. Fortunately, Dumbledore had been forced out for a required questioning of his own - he had resisted arrest, after all, and it _was_ procedure. The vindictively gleeful looks on the faces of several Aurors as they led him away had nothing to do with anything, of course. Sirius still wasn't happy with the man trying to make his godson go back to Hogwarts without him, and he was very aware that Dumbledore wanted Harry with the damned Dursleys, for whatever reason. But without him there, the process went smoothly, and Sirius walked away as the proud guardian of one fifteen-year-old boy. Said boy was practically glued to his side, seemingly terrified that the man would suddenly disappear on him.

"Come on, Harry. We're going home."

"But what about school?"

Sirius just snorted - now _that_ was something he would never have heard James ask. "You've taken your OWLs. James' parents pulled him out early after exams a few times, too; it's not as rare as you'd think." He flashed his godson a grin. "Besides, it's family matters. It's school policy to let a student leave for major changes in family situation." He tried to look innocent, which just made Harry laugh. He grinned triumphantly, stopping at the entrance to the Ministry.

"You know, as much fun as it would be to walk out there and watch everyone panic, we should probably wait until my exoneration is announced in the _Prophet_, or we'll end up right back in here. We'll Apparate back to Grimmauld, so grab on." The last part was quite unnecessary, as Harry had barely let go of him the entire way. Sirius pulled him tightly against his side and twirled around, disappearing with a loud _crack_.

They appeared in the dingy drawing room of Headquarters, and Sirius's arm lashed out just in time to catch his godson. He snickered, pulling the boy back up, and ruffled his hair. "Pup, I hate to break it to you, but you really,_ really_ suck at Apparition." Harry blushed and extracted himself from his godfather's grip, mock glaring. "It's not _my_ fault magical transportation hates me," he shot back plaintively. Sirius just laughed, laying his arm around the boy's thin shoulders. Just then, there was a loud grumble from the vicinity of his godson's stomach, and Sirius frowned.

"When was the last time you ate?'

The fact that Harry had to think for a full thirty seconds about that was worrying in itself. "This morning, I think - wait, no, it's after midnight, so I guess yesterday morning."

Sirius physically dragged the boy to the kitchen and sat him in a chair, a little bit worried. Even with the adrenaline of the day, it was disturbing that his godson seemed to not have noticed his hunger until now...but maybe he was overreacting. Still, he'd be keeping an eye on Harry's weight.

"Food," he muttered, opening up a cupboard and removing a carton of eggs. "Scrambled eggs okay, pup?" He didn't hear a response, so he turned to look back; Harry was staring at him. "What?"

"You keep your eggs in the cupboard?"

"Where else would I-" _Oh_. A long-forgotten memory from his Muggle Studies class popped up in his mind, and he suddenly understood. "Right, Muggle thing. You use a...frigger...frater?"

"Refrigerator. Fridge."

"Yeah, that." He waved away the correction. "This cupboard has a Stasis charm on it - anything you put in won't change until you take it out. So, hot things go in, hot things come out. Cold things go in..."

"Cold things come out. Got it."

"Yup! Now..." He turned to the old-fashioned stove, frowning. "How does this thing work again?"

Harry quickly got up and stood beside him, looking over it worriedly. "Sirius, can you even cook?"

"Sort of. It'll be edible." He paused, then looked back at the stove. "Probably."

Harry grabbed the eggs from him, rolling his eyes, and quickly had a pan full of eggs cooking. Sirius watched, shocked, as his fifteen-year-old godson expertly wielded a wooden spoon - _he_ certainly wasn't so confident in the kitchen at that age. Or any other. Actually, Harry seemed to be practically on autopilot, somehow managing to produce perfectly fluffy, bright eggs without paying any particular attention to what he was doing. When he finished, though, and began piling it onto two plates, Sirius began to get a bit concerned.

"Shouldn't you have more than that?"

Harry just glanced up at him, looking faintly puzzled. "This is plenty for me. The rest is yours."

_Now_ he was worried. "Harry, you haven't eaten all day! I'm not that hungry, now _eat._" Well, he actually_ was_ that hungry, but that wasn't the point. He dumped a good portion of what was on his plate onto his godson's, frowning as Harry flushed tomato red. Fortunately, that was the end of the protests, but he would _definitely_ be making sure his godson ate more.

They ate in silence - Harry's eyes were drooping, and Sirius could sympathize. By the time his godson had finished his eggs, he was practically sleeping in them. Sirius stood and stretched before leaning over to shake his godson awake, but stopped himself in time. For a moment he just watched Harry doze, feeling a fierce warmth blossom in his chest. His pup was here, with him. Where he belonged. He smiled - not the mischievous grin he often wore, but a gentler, joyful smile. "I'm a sap," he muttered to himself, but the smile didn't fade. Harry was definitely asleep now, so rather than wake his godson, Sirius picked him up - Merlin, the boy was small - and carried him up the stairs to his old room.

"S'r'us..."

"Yes, pup?" His voice was quiet, but filled with affection.

"Don' fall..."

Sirius stopped for a moment, confused. Was Harry just dreaming? He had almost convinced himself that was the case when his godson spoke again.

"Curt'n...no, don' get hit, Siri... Don' fall..."

His blood ran cold, memories of the battle flashing through his mind. Suddenly, he_ knew_ it was a dream. Still, Sirius couldn't help wondering how Harry knew about the dangers of the Death Veil in the Department of Mysteries; he'd only learned about it in his Auror days, but there was no doubting what Harry was seeing in his dreams.

He pushed that thought aside forcefully, smoothing down messy black hair while he laid his godson down on his old bed. "Don't worry, pup. I won't fall. I'm right here," he whispered, running his hands through the boy's hair. He sat there for a long time, enjoying the feeling, before he too succumbed to the blankness of a dreamless sleep.

**A/N: **Okay, this took a lot longer and ended up a lot shorter than I thought it would. I tried to write the "interrogation" about six times, but it really just wasn't working, so I completely deleted it. Yay. On the plus side, I came up with an awesome idea for later in the story - something adorable and with way too many feels. I can't wait to write it! Also, to those who are worried: this isn't going to be a blatant abused!Harry story. I won't be going beyond what's said in the books; they've locked him up without food and made him do all the chores and occasionally taken a swing at him (like in the second book, when his aunt tried to hit him with the frying pan), but nothing like what fanfic authors tend to speculate. Sirius's observations are valid, but all should be explained in the next chapter.

So yeah. Sorry again about the shortness of the chapter, but I figured it was better to send a short update now than to work on it for who knows how long when it might never come out well. Please review!


	4. Chapter 3: Confrontation

**Chapter 3: Confrontation**

Harry, still half asleep, was feeling unusually content. He was warm, and felt safe in the arms wrapped around him.

The arms wrapped around him?

Harry bolted upright, suddenly wide awake and very confused, and hit his head on something hard. His own cry of pain was echoed by a familiar voice, and he stilled. "Sirius?"

"_Ow_, pup."

Suddenly his memory came rushing back, and Harry flushed bright red in embarrassment. He didn't remember falling asleep, but it looked like he had done so in his godfather's arms like an infant. Not the best impression to make on his first night. What would Sirius think of him?

"Sorry 'bout that," he mumbled awkwardly, shifting a bit on the bed. "I didn't mean to-"

Sirius raised his hand, and Harry stiffened nervously, but relaxed when the man just waved it dismissively. "No problem, pup. It was my fault for not making back to my own bed." He grinned sheepishly, rubbing his forehead. "We were both pretty beat last night."

There was silence for a few moments before Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulders. "So, how about breakfast?"

Harry just snorted as he climbed out of bed, rolling his eyes. "Do you think of _anything _but food?" He felt his face heat up again at the thought of food; he'd been eating less and less for weeks to prepare for the approaching summer at the Dursley's, and judging by what he remembered of the past night, he was sure Sirius had noticed how little he'd grown accustomed to.

"Girls, occasionally. And you." Harry rolled his eyes at the first, but smiled lightly at the second, revelling in the novelty of such a statement. "But other than that? No." His godfather sounded absurdly happy about that. "Besides, there'll probably be somebody from the Order around, and as long as it isn't Tonks or Dung, they cook better than I do, so..."

Soon they were stumbling out of the room together, laughing and chatting as they raced down to the kitchen. They quieted as they passed the currently-sleeping portrait, but resumed their chase as they neared the brightly-lit kitchen. When they entered, Harry was ahead, but he froze in the doorway, and Sirius plowed into him from behind.

"Hey, no fair! You can't just..." Sirius's good-natured protest died in the tense atmosphere, and the pair looked up from the floor at the entirety of the Order. Most of them appeared somber or angry, with a few notable exceptions; Tonks looked rather like a scolded child, though her hair was cycling through a rainbow of bright, happy colors, while Lupin looked distinctly amused. Mr. Weasley watched them passively, but with a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Dung was, naturally, asleep.

Sirius, ever the consummate Gryffindor, spoke up first. "Er, morning, everyone. What's for breakfast?" There were a few quiet snickers, and Harry noticed with a flicker of amusement that Tonks leaned her head on the shoulder of a very red-faced Lupin in the process; judging by Sirius's quickly hidden grin, he saw the interaction as well. She wasn't particularly subtle; but then, she didn't appear to care, so she probably wasn't trying to be.

Dumbledore stood up, seeming to radiate power and fury, and the room fell silent. "Sirius." His voice was cold, and his eyes lacked their customary twinkle. "Why did you take Harry from his guardians? He was safe there." His gaze locked on Harry, then, and the teenager looked away, suddenly unsure of himself. He had made a mess of things, hadn't he? He was supposed to stay with his relatives, he was...

"He wasn't happy!" Sirius stood up, matching the Headmaster's glare. "He should've been with me all along, and now that I'm free, it's time for me to take care of him like we _both _want." Harry felt his godfather pull him close, and some of his embarrassment melted away. At least Sirius wanted him, instead of thinking he was a burden or a waste of space like the Dursleys. He felt a powerful wave of affection and concern wash over him, and relaxed. "Besides, I _am_ his guardian! So there," he added childishly, his chin jutting out defiantly.

Mrs. Weasley was the next to protest, wringing her hands anxiously. "Harry, dear, the Headmaster is right. Your relatives' home is the safest place for you with You-Know-Who running around, and not to be rude -" Her eyes flashed as she turned to Sirius, but Harry interrupted, bolstering his courage.

"Mrs. Weasley, please don't say what I think you're going to say." He took a deep, steadying breath, straightening. "Sirius is my godfather, and the closest thing to a father I have ever had." Harry had to fight a blush at that admission, but pressed on. "I know you don't think he can take care of me, but _I _believe otherwise. Please don't try to tell me what I need, because I think I know that better than you do." Sirius squeezed his shoulder gently, and Harry looked up to see grey eyes filled with pride and love above a somewhat tremulous smile. He felt a shy smile tug at his own mouth, and had to force himself to look away and turn back to Mrs. Weasley, who looked rather stricken and teary-eyed. "I want to stay with Sirius. I need to," he added pleadingly, his gaze turning on Dumbledore. Again, the disappointment in the man's eyes nearly broke his resistance, but his godfather's presence helped him stay firm. He was starting to get a headache, but it faded when he tore his gaze away, wincing.

A sudden growl from Sirius surprised him, and he looked back, but let out a small and very undignified squeak of surprise as his godfather pulled him against his side, protectively. His eyes flashed with anger, glaring at the Headmaster. "_Compulsion_ charms, Dumbledore? Really? Have we fallen so far?"

Harry didn't really understand that, but several members looked shocked, and Lupin let out a feral-sounding snarl. Sirius stepped in front of him, as a sort of human shield, and continued, his voice caustic. "So much for the esteemed leader of the Light. Whatever happened to free will, _Headmaster_?"

"For the Greater Good, Harry needs to -"

"Sod your Greater Good!" This time it was, surprisingly, Tonks who spoke. "We've caused more than enough trouble trying to tell him what to do, I reckon. Why don't we let Harry decide for himself?" There were murmurs of agreement from around the room, but many remained silent. Harry smiled at Tonks slightly. "I choose Sirius. I'll always choose him."

"And I choose Harry." Harry felt a warm glow in his chest at those words, and turned to face the Headmaster. He was still a bit confused, but he knew one thing for sure: Dumbledore was officially on his blacklist right now.

Sirius seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "Albus, I don't know what you're playing at, but I want you out of my house, _now_. Harry is staying with me. That is not up for discussion."

The Headmaster made no move to leave, and Sirius's patience snapped. Furious power was radiating from him now, as well, matching Dumbledore's evenly; Sirius's felt warmer to Harry, and pulsed like a heartbeat, while Dumbledore's seemed cold, rigid and unbending.

Making one more attempt, Dumbledore stepped forward, but Sirius's wand slashed through the air to point at the Headmaster's chest.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, depart these premises at once! _You are not welcome here!_"

The house seemed to rumble, and Harry was sure the Headmaster's astonished expression just before he vanished was reflected on his own face, but before he could question it, Sirius had turned on the rest of the Order. "You -" he pointed at Tonks and Remus, the latter of whom was quite obviously uncomfortable as the former placed an arm around him - "can stay. The rest of you, out, before I _make_ you leave!"

There was a mad dash for the door, and only once the room was empty but for the four of them did Sirius collapse into a chair. "Not that I know how the bloody hell I did that in the first place."

Remus perked up, suddenly in his element. "I suspect that with your pardon, you can be officially recognized as Lord of House Black, which enabled the dormant magic of the house to react to your current emotional state, and remove his magical signature from the wards, which probably -"

Tonks put her hand over his mouth to quiet him, and Remus looked so bewildered that Harry had to fight to stifle a snigger. The sound caught Sirius's attention, and the older man leaped up from his chair again to fuss over Harry. "You're alright, aren't you? Headache? Dizziness? Nausea?"

"Er..."

"Hot chocolate," he announced, as if it were the solution to everything. Of course, judging by the near-reverent looks on both his and Remus's face, and his former professor's apparent chocolate addiction, it may well be, Harry realized, feeling slightly dazed. Once there was a steaming mug of chocolate pressed firmly into his hands, Harry spoke up. "So, anyone want to explain what exactly is going on? What was all that about com...what was it?"

Remus snorted before growing serious. "Compulsion charms, Cub. A more commonly known branch of Legilimency, involving planting suggestions in the mind. Easier to fight off than the typical, memory-viewing type, but harder to detect."

"I know enough Occlumency to recognize someone messing with my thought patterns," Sirius muttered angrily. "And _nobody_ messes with my pup's mind. Old coot."

Looking thoughtful, Remus opened his mouth as if to say something, but then closed it again, shaking his head bemusedly. Harry just sipped his hot chocolate reflectively. "I felt more like myself when I was closer to you." Sirius beamed at him and ruffled his hair, and Harry's eyes drifted closed, a smile tugging at his lips. He couldn't even find it in him to be angry at Dumbledore; not now, when he was here with his _family_, as if he'd never been away. He glanced up at his godfather and took another sip of hot chocolate, trying to tell himself that it was the latter that was making him feel all warm and fuzzy - his masculinity couldn't take much more sappiness in one day.

**A/N:** Everything I ever write is doomed to become both awkward and overly fluffy and adorable. This chapter felt really stiff and weird somehow, but hopefully the next one will be better - I'm really sorry for the wait, but I've been ridiculously stressed out over college application problems (why on earth do they need obscure documentation from my _seventh grade_, for crying out loud?) and my culminating project at school, so writing kind of fell by the wayside. Please review, guys, I love hearing your thoughts and do take your views into consideration!

To address a few select reviews:

desireejones99: Hehe, not a Seer, though I did consider that when I was first planning the story; does this chapter give a few clues as to what happened? I left one important clue, if you can find it. At the moment it's probably rather vague, but all will be revealed shortly!

BlackWolfUnder: I hope it isn't the best - that's quite a large responsibility for a humble newbie writer like myself! I'm certainly glad you're enjoying it, though~

vlbuehle: Hey, how did you guess what I was planning for chapter 4 or 5? And yeah, I'm not saying the Dursleys aren't abusive bastards, but I don't want my first story to be one of the stereotypical abused!Harry stories - they're all very, very similar, and I'd like to think that this is going to be somewhat original. Still, I definitely agree that he is abused, just not to the extent that some stories take it (though I may write a more extreme story in the future, but that'd be a long way off). I hope I made it more obvious what I mean in this chapter - I think I may just be rambling here...


	5. Chapter 4: Conversations

**Chapter 4: Conversations**

The mood was broken by a tapping noise from the window. Sirius jerked back slightly and looked around wildly, until he heard Harry laugh softly.

"It's just an owl, Sirius."

Sirius grinned sheepishly. "I knew that," he replied as he quickly opened the window to let it in. The owl - a rather small Eagle owl - dropped off a large roll of parchment and ruffled its feathers importantly before taking off again.

"Oh." Sirius felt rather numb. "The _Prophet_'s here." Part of him was terrified to read it, as if it would somehow tell him that it was all a dream, that his freedom and his godson would be snatched away from him again...

"Oh, for Merlin's sake," he heard Tonks mutter before the paper was snatched up and opened. Sirius's head snapped up as he was startled from his musings. There, on the front page, was a black-and-white picture of Harry leaping into his arms beneath the bold headlines.

**BLACK IN NAME ONLY**

**Sirius Black receives full pardon, custody of Boy-Who-Lived!**

_In a shocking revelation deep within the Ministry, Sirius Black revealed under Veritaserum the plot that led him to be imprisoned without trial for twelve years! The notorious mass murderer and godfather of Harry Potter was imprisoned at the end of the war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named after an elaborate scheme to protect the Potters went horribly wrong. _

_"I was supposed to be the Secret-Keeper," he stated under Veritaserum, "but we suspected a traitor in our circle of friends. It was my idea to be a decoy, so that the Death Eaters would target me, and not tell anyone that Peter [Pettigrew] was the real Secret-Keeper." The plan may have been successful, if not for one key fact: Pettigrew, who was awarded the Order of Merlin, third class in the aftermath of the war, was the spy, and betrayed the Potters to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Names before faking his own death, framing his former best friend in the process..._

The article went on, but Sirius couldn't read anymore. A wide grin spread across his face and he grabbed Harry around the waist, swinging him up and around in the air - probably not the best idea, as his godson's mug was still half full of lukewarm hot chocolate, which splashed all over the rather startled Remus.

"Oops?" Sirius carefully placed Harry back on the ground and backed away from the werewolf, smiling innocently. The next moment, he was racing through the hall, laughing hysterically as his longtime friend chased him, muttering halfhearted threats and growling. Sirius yelped as a bright pink spell shot past him and reached for his wand -

- which he suddenly distinctly remembered leaving on the kitchen table. _Bugger._ He ran faster, dodging occasionally, and flung himself behind a garish armchair as Padfoot, but not before he felt a spell hit his shoulder. Sirius feared the worst, and his suspicions were only confirmed by the snickers of a barely-winded Remus behind him. He looked down, and cringed. He was _pink._

As if that weren't embarrassing enough, Harry charged in just then, wheezing with laughter - and holding a camera. Part of him was proud at his godson's Marauder reaction, but the blackmail material would be endless. He whined plaintively, but the only response he received was the flash of the camera. Huffing, he ducked out of sight and transformed back.

"This means war, Moony."

Snickering ensued, and Sirius pouted. "Pup, you wouldn't abandon your poor, defenseless godfather to that smelly old wolf, would you?"

"I dunno, Sirius." Harry's voice was filled with mirth. "He looks an awful lot more dignified than you do right now."

"Precisely. I'm not the one hiding behind a chair with pink hair, after all."

"Hey!" That one was Tonks, whose own pink hair darkened nearly to red as she blushed. "What's wrong with pink hair?"

Remus gulped, and Sirius snickered slightly before continuing in a dramatically horrified tone. "Moony! You'd turn my own godson against me?"

Three sets of laughter followed, and Sirius growled good-naturedly.

"Really, Padfoot. You should've known we'd have to celebrate your freedom with a prank." A heavy, dramatic sigh. "Guess I should've known you'd lost your touch..."

Sirius poked his head out, glaring indignantly at the wildly grinning trio. "I have _not_ -"

Harry raised the camera and snapped another picture, and Sirius groaned, running one hand through his unfortunately-colored hair.

At that moment, Remus's head snapped to the side, and he suddenly whirled to face Harry. His eyes narrowed, and before anyone else in the room could react, he had snatched one of Harry's hands from off the camera, examining it.

"Harry..."

Sirius watched in bewilderment as his godson attempted to pull away, his face bright red with embarrassment. Remus held tight to his hand, staring at it in horror. "Harry, what is this?"

Concerned, Sirius got to his feet and approached the two. Now that he was closer, he could see the light reflecting oddly off his godson's hand, and felt a wave of foreboding wash over him. "What happened to your hand, pup?" Remus seemed frozen in shock, so Sirius gently tugged the small hand away from him to examine it himself. What he saw made his entire body grow cold.

_I must not tell lies._

Silence hung heavily in the room, and Harry began to shift nervously from foot to foot and look longingly at the door.

"Harry James Potter," he began slowly, struggling to get the words out from where they seemed to be caught in his throat. "Please, _please_ tell me you have an explanation for this."

"Er..."

"_Please,_" he repeated, desperately.

"I didn't want to," Harry whispered, but didn't elaborate further, shame filling his eyes. Sirius took a deep, steadying breath at the answer, trying to calm the emotions pounding in his head.

"Pup, did you...did you do this to yourself?" Harry looked uncomfortable at that, but Sirius, with a sudden flash of insight, amended his question: "Did someone _make_ you do this to yourself?"

Sirius knew immediately that he had guessed correctly. With a sharp gasp, Harry jerked back, and his hand slipped out of Sirius's. He turned to the door, obviously intending to flee, but a quick slash of Remus's wand locked the door. Sirius cautiously approached his godson and placed a hand on his shoulder, and was alarmed to feel the slight form trembling violently. Harry slowly turned to face him, and subtly covered the scar with his other hand; Sirius felt a pang of guilt, having seen that stance before, over Christmas. _How long has this - whatever it is - been going on?_

"It's nothing, Sirius. I'm fine." Harry's voice caught slightly, and his eyes were suspiciously bright. With a sigh, Sirius crossed the distance between them and squatted down slightly so that he was eye-to-eye with Harry.

"Pup, you're _not_ fine. There are only three ways you could have gotten those scars, and not one of them is in any way _fine_." Harry wasn't meeting his eyes, so Sirius pressed on. "Are you going to tell me what happened, or do I need to take you to St. Mungo's to get it examined?"

Harry paled to a chalky white. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse. "You wouldn't..."

"I would." _And quite happily, too,_ he added silently. Actually, he'd be making an appointment or two at the hospital either way, but for now... Well, it was probably better if Harry thought he was getting out of it. "The objects that can cause those sort of scars are very, very dark, Harry. Some of them can cause permanent damage, much worse than scars." That was true; one nasty little artifact he'd learned about as an Auror would slowly drain the blood of anyone who used it, and that wasn't even the worst option. Sirius debated telling Harry that, but decided that the kid looked terrified enough already.

Harry looked away, his usually pale cheeks stained with red. "I got them in detention," he muttered to his shoes, and Sirius froze.

"A professor, then." A bloody _professor_ had done this. Someone who should have looked out for his pup, _protected_ him... Part of him insisted that it had to have been Snape, but for once, he shot that idea down; the scars hadn't been there before this year, and Snivellus wouldn't have waited four years before starting to torture his godson. There was only one logical answer, then, and it made Sirius's blood boil. "Umbridge," he growled, and Harry flinched.

"It wasn't a big deal, Sirius. _Please,_ let it go, she -"

"Quiet, pup." _ I'm plotting murder here._ "We are not letting this go. What did she do?"

"Lines," Harry mumbled, his shoulders slumped. Sirius sucked in a deep, harsh breath.

"With a Blood Quill?" Seeing Harry's confusion, he elaborated. "A black quill with a very sharp tip that writes in blood?"

"Er, yeah. That sounds about right."

He heard a thumping noise from the corner, and glanced over to see Remus, who'd been growling and cursing under his breath since Umbridge was mentioned, slamming his head against the wall. Sirius held back a snort and carefully guided Harry over to sit in the armchair, while he perched on the armrest.

"Harry," he began slowly, "why didn't you tell us? We could have helped you."

His godson's head whipped up to look at him, and Sirius was somewhat thrown by the disbelief in his emerald eyes. "How? By getting thrown back in Azkaban? By telling the teachers and getting them sacked? There was nothing you could do!"

Sirius stared back. "Um, by telling one of the three Aurors I have trooping in and out of my house at all hours of the day?" He had to force the harshness from his voice, and carried on more gently. "Blood Quills are illegal, pup. They could have investigated on an anonymous tip, and there would have been no risk to anyone."

"But Fudge condoned it!"

"And I do believe you have connections with a certain well-known reporter who would have been thrilled to spread the word if that happened," Sirius retorted. Harry didn't seem to have a response for that, so he continued, tracing the thin, raised scars on his godson's hand tenderly. "You don't have to face everything alone, pup. That's not bravery, that's just stubbornness. It took me a long time to learn that lesson," he added in response to the rather indignant look he received at that. "I know I haven't been around as much as I should have been -"

Harry jerked slightly, looking up at him in horror. "It's not your fault! It was the Ministry idiots who made you go on the run!"

_And if I hadn't gone after Peter, or if I hadn't suggested him in the first place, I would have been there for you_, Sirius reflected, feeling a pang of remorse. "That doesn't change the fact that I haven't been there for you like I promised you I would. I'm changing that, right now." He hesitated then, avoiding his godson's eyes, before gathering up his courage again. "I might be wrong, but I don't think you've ever really relied on anyone. You're always trying to handle things on your own, and you always seem so surprised that others can or will help you." He spoke softly, carefully watching his godson, and sighed at the boy's tense, wary look. "You're strong, pup, but nobody's _that_ strong. You don't have to take care of everything. That's _my_ job," he added with a soft smile, ruffling his godson's hair. "As horrifying as it is, I'm an _adult_, which means I have _responsibilities_." He shuddered dramatically, and was rewarded with a snicker.

"So, here's what we're going to do." Harry sat up straighter at that, looking nervous, and Sirius had to restrain a laugh at the instant change. "We're going to set up an appointment with a Healer - for _both_ of us," he added warningly over Harry's objections. "They might be able to get rid of that scar, or at least make it less noticeable. Besides, as good as Madame Pomfrey is, she's not a full Healer, so her remedies aren't always perfect. By the time your dad and I got out of Hogwarts, we had potion residue coming out our - er, well, you get the idea. But either way, you've been in the Hospital Wing _far_ too often for my liking..."

"Hard not to, with Voldemort, basilisks, dragons..."

"_What?_"

"Er...nothing?"

Sirius just groaned. Somehow, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.

**A/N:** Super sorry for the wait, guys! Things have been hectic on my end - massive essays in three classes, lengthy and exhausting drama rehearsals, and college prep have been making it near impossible to find writing time. On the plus side, I got a full ride scholarship to university! Of course, the school is literally as far away from home as I can possibly go while staying in the continental US, so...yeah. Hehe.

Just to clarify a few things that reviewers brought up:

1. Remus and Tonks are _not_ the only people on Sirius's side. It's more that they're the only members of the Order who he trusts unconditionally - after all, Tonks is family, and Remus might as well be. The Weasleys and several other characters will support them, but Sirius just kicked everyone out until they know for sure. Besides, who can blame them for wanting some family time?

2. There will be _many_ more problems for Dumbledore in the near future. I did enjoy reading some of your suggestions as to where he was ejected to; that'll probably be revealed at some point by a very angry Bumblebee.

Till next time, everyone! Please review!


End file.
